tushanshu | video;

[Carol is seated in front of her console, in civvies. Actually, sitting might be the wrong term. She's more floating a few inches above her chair, legs crossed. She does this sometimes without thinking when she's sitting. She looks mostly unbothered by this whole thing. A little frustrated maybe but at most it seems to be a minor inconvenience]

So. Alternate universes are a bitch, huh? Or whatever you'd classify this as. You would think whatever bigger power it is you believe in would have decided by now that this has happened to me enough but I guess not. Oh well, what can you do? [Said oh so casually like she has just seen way too much of of this shit. Which she has. Weird happenings are sort of a thing in her life ]

Anyway, alternate universe craziness aside, my name's Carol. Nice to meet you guys. Under the circumstances and all. I'm sure you hear stuff like this a lot but let's just get this out of the way first: What's the progress on not being here anymore?

And while I'm asking things, how many people here are from Earth? Better yet, who here has heard of the Avengers, the X Men or Captain America? Or who knows anything about superheroes at all, even if it's not any of the things I just mentioned? Let's just say I want to know for my own reference.

[She'd also like to see just how many people ended up here from her world. Or a world similar to hers. Having more superheroes around never hurt. She pauses and glances off to the side, looking at something intensely for a minute as if considering something very important before turning back to the console]

Unrelated but can the fires around here actually burn things? Just, you know, curious.

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Not unrecognizable. I thought it was you before I said anything, I just didn't want to jump to conclusions. I've met a lot of people who aren't right today. It's headache inducing. But once we talked a little I was sure it was you. [Shrug. She's really determined to not be the one who drops the Winter Soldier bomb on him]

So if you don't wanna know, I won't tell you. Simple as that.

[He doesn't really have anything to say to that. At least she had the decency to give him a few minutes before she dropped the "I know you" bomb, which is more than some people. And he doesn't have much to say to the next comment either, because he really isn't sure if he wants to know. At least not today. He's already yo-yoing between accepting his own death and being told he isn't actually dead, and what the hell are you supposed to do with that information?

So he settles on changing the subject.] So you said you knew Steve. Word of warning, the one here who says he's Steve ain't Steve.

[She feels bad about this. She really does. It can't be easy to take in all this crap about your own future. She knows she wouldn't handle it so well. But at the same time, he has a right to know. She couldn't just lie to him. Well....any more than she already has. Leaving out the Winter Soldier is for his own good, she thinks]

Yeah, so I've been told by like six other people. He's Steve but he isn't the Steve from our world. That kind of sucks. So many people I've met aren't how they're supposed to be....

If he's Steve at all, I ain't seeing it. When we met he acted all condescending at me, treated me like I was bein' unreasonable. Steve'd never do that. [He'd have tried to understand that Bucky was having a hard time with everything. He would have understood, because Steve and Bucky were partners, but this one isn't his Steve.] I don't trust him. He's too different.

And welcome to my life since I got here. Nothing makes sense.

Yeah, that doesn't sound like Steve. [Steve has always been supportive, understanding and amazing. The fact that this Steve apparently isn't is disappointing. Then again, who knows how much of that is reality and how much is just Bucky being cranky] I'll probably avoid him unless he approaches me first. Which he probably won't because he probably doesn't even know me.

No kidding. You're from the past and there's a whole bunch of weird alternate universe people who are weird and don't know me.

Probably wouldn't. [At least judging from the things he's heard, and the things he's seen of that Steve. He and Toro are steering clear.]

Well you're from the future and way too many people know who I am here, so don't gripe to me.

Oh well. No loss, I guess. [It's easy to tell herself it's not loss but it'd be nice if Steve was actually here. Steve has a talent for making everything better. But if he doesn't know her and probably wouldn't even talk to her, that does the opposite of making everything better]

I wasn't griping. I was commiserating. We're having a conversation. That's what people do. [Oh Bucky. You are so tiny and prickly]

Not with that one, no. [Someone is a little cranky about the whole situation.]

We're not friends. [There isn't much venom in it, just a sort of tired wariness, because he's spent pretty much his entire time here being paranoid and wary of everyone.] Just because you know me doesn't mean I know you well enough for "commiserating".

You're right, we're not. [She can't even say they are back at home, where Bucky's all grown up. At least that Bucky knows her. She's so sick of this place and this day already] But okay, have it your way. I told you what I thought you should know. If you wanna know anything else, I'm right here.

Has anyone ever told you that you're really prickly? Sort of like a cactus.

I am not prickly. I'm wary about people who think they know me because I ain't a naive sap. [...He might be pouting. Just a little.]

[Pfft. Oh, you're cute]

That's understandable. You've got not reason to trust people you don't actually know. I'm just saying, not everyone wants to murder you.

You know when I came from, right?

[Fair point]

....Not everyone who isn't in a military uniform wants to murder you.

Even people in military uniforms wanted to murder me pretty regularly. War and all.

Yeah, but people who aren't in uniform probably don't. Like random people on the street. [Though she can't say for sure there won't be random people on the street trying to murder them. That happens sometimes]

Unless you say something and piss them off, I guess.

Appearances are deceiving. War and all. [And old habits are hard to break. His are practically ingrained into his very cells.

Snort.] Yeah that happens more often than you'd think.

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